News About Chimney Rock Excavations, Pima County Moves to Protect Hohokam Village Site.

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

- Excavations at Chimney Rock: Take a 1,000-year-old, ancient Puebloan site that links to a major astronomical “capital” 100 miles away, combine it with archaeology connections to the University of Colorado spanning 40 years, and you end up with a masterpiece of excavation and mystery just a half-hour from Pagosa Springs. The Chimney Rock Archaeology Area is best known locally as the towering pillars of stone that rise above the valley floor near the intersection of U.S. 160 and Colo. 151. Visible from areas in Pagosa Springs, the formations are just a small part of the site that has attracted attention from archaeologists both regionally and worldwide. In fact, a film crew from the National Geographic Society was at the site in late June to document the current project, which could provide conclusive evidence that Chimney Rock is not a stand-alone site, but part of a much larger group of ancient pueblos whose function is related to astronomical events.
http://www.pagosasun.com/archives/2009/07july/070209/feature.html

- Colorado Representative John Salazar Visits Chimney Rock Project: Salazar praised the efforts of federal, state and private groups, including University of Colorado at Boulder faculty and student archaeologists, who are working together to investigate and restore the Chimney Rock Archaeological Area near Pagosa Springs, Colo. The site is considered one of the most spectacular Ancestral Pueblo ruins in all of the Southwest. Salazar toured Chimney Rock, believed to be an important religious and ceremonial center for the Pueblo people 1,000 years ago, on June 30. The 4,100-acre Chimney Rock Archaeological Area features two spectacular rock pinnacles, a Pueblo Great House, a ceremonial Great Kiva and a variety of other stone structures. The site is located at an altitude of 7,800 feet, high above the valley floor, and appears to have been sacred to the Pueblo elite who likely watched the moon periodically rise between the rock pinnacles.
http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/662988bb4dc6b81df322f62a1e243433.html

- John Salazar's Bill to Provide Mesa Verde with 22 Million Dollars for New Visitor's Center Passes in US House: The proposed visitor and curatorial center at Mesa Verde National Park stands to receive $22 million under a funding bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The money was requested by U.S. Rep. John Salazar, who announced the funding Wednesday at Mesa Verde. The bill contains $11.6 million for the curatorial center and $10.5 million for the visitors center. Both centers will be housed in one building near the park's entrance.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/fqb7 - Durango Herald

- Pima County Hopes to Preserve Ancient Hohokam Village: The county hopes to capitalize on the low land values hitting commercial investors now as it tries to secure state funds to buy 67 acres on the Southwest side for preservation. The county wants a state grant to purchase the archeologically-rich Valencia Site, near West Valencia Road and Interstate 19, most of which it will preserve. A small portion will be used for public education. The site includes about 1,800 Hohokam pithouses and represents about 500 years of Hohokam occupation.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/299626

- Autry National Center Hits Roadblock in Planned Takeover of Southwest Museum: A panel of five City Council members — faced with a polite crowd of more than 200 people divided between those with “Yes!” decals urging approval of the Autry’s plans and others with multicolored paper “S.O.S.” buttons, for “Save Our Southwest” — voted unanimously to delay a decision for four weeks. It urged the Autry to provide legal assurances by then that the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in Mount Washington won't become just an afterthought to a larger, more comprehensive Griffith Park facility.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/fha9 - Los Angeles Times

- The Strange Story of Everett Ruess continues: Any doubt that remains found in the Utah wilderness were those of Everett Ruess, a legendary wanderer of the 1930s, seemed to be erased by a battery of forensic and genetic tests a few months ago. But Utah's state archaeologist, who was not involved in the discovery, is raising a series of questions about whether the remains are actually those of the poet and artist who disappeared in the Escalante canyons.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/49753927.html

Thanks to Michael D Mauer for contributions to today's newsletter.

Arizona State Museum Collections Honored, Troubling Preservation Issue in Santa Fe, Pecos Conference Update

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

- Arizona State Museum Honored with National Preservation Award: The Arizona State Museum and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners have been selected to receive the 2008 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections from Heritage Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. The Arizona State Museum is the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest caring for a world-renowned collection of artifacts from indigenous peoples of the American Southwest and northern Mexico.
http://www.heritagepreservation.org/awards/aic2008.htm

- Demolition of Homes on Santa Fe Indian School Raises Troubling Preservation Questions: Elaine Bergman, executive director of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, said it was unfortunate no one from the school or pueblo council had alerted preservation groups of their plans. "At the minimum, it would have been nice to document the homes before they were demolished," she said. "We can learn from the interiors and exteriors about how they were constructed. But once they're gone, they're gone."
http://www.cdarc.org/page/poa - Santa Fe New Mexican

- New Website for the Arizona Archaeological Council: The Arizona Archaeological Council is pleased to announce the unveiling of the organization’s new website. Along with the new look, we have added some new features. For example, newsletters from 1977 to 2007 are now accessible as pdf files; the Links section has been expanded; previous conferences are listed and abstracts are included where available. We have plans for additional features so stay tuned.
http://www.arizonaarchaeologicalcouncil.org/

- Advance Schedule for Pecos Conference now On-line: Brian Kenny has complied the initial conference speaker's abstracts and schedule of Presentations.
http://snipurl.com/36qmq - Conference Abstracts
http://snipurl.com/36qn0 - Afternoon Speaker's Schedule

- Digital Video Recording at Pecos Conference: The Center for Desert Archaeology and Southwestern Archaeology Today would like to record a variety of presentations during the Pecos conference, with the goal of placing the resulting digital video online for future research and educational uses. Participation is strictly voluntary, and the digital videos will be released with a creative commons license so that the resulting presentations can be shared freely within the southwestern archaeological community. All digital video will be carefully examined to ensure that sensitive information such as specific site locations are not publicized. If you have any specific questions, comments or concerns regarding this effort, please contact Doug Gann at dgann@cdarc.org

- Controversial Merger of Southwest Museum and the National Autry Center Sparks an Interesting Blog: The purpose of the blog is to reach out to museum, accounting, legal, education professionals, students, and concerned individuals across the nation to inform, discuss, and analyze the implications of an ongoing effort of the former Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage to move the entire Southwest Museum from its nationally significant landmark campus into an expanded single Autry Museum building in Griffith Park. The proposal has been severely condemned by historians, archaeologists, historic preservationists, civil rights leaders, and community activists. Over 7,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the Autry not be granted City of Los Angeles permission to use City park land to carry out this plan.
http://www.blackhatblog.wordpress.com

- Detailed Journal of Archaeological Reconnaissance along Utah's Green River: As we clamor up the scree slopes and up on the lower ledges of the cliffs, someone spots an unrecorded granery. Now the real work began. It isn't like the movies where Indiana Jones swoops in and sees if there are treasures to take. Mostly, it is about careful measurement, sketching the site and surroundings. It also involves the recording of details on the paper work that is brought to each site. They do not dig into a site, but leave it as untouched and undisturbed as they can.
http://www.sunad.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=13667

- Theories of Possible Polynesian Migrations to the Americas Challenged by Reanalysis of the DNA of South American Chickens: A new study of DNA from ancient and modern chickens has shed light on the controversy about the extent of pre-historic Polynesian contact with the Americas. The study questions recent claims that chickens were first introduced into South America by Polynesians, before the arrival of Spanish chickens in the 15th century following Christopher Columbus.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133618.htm

- Employment Opportunity (Field Directors and Principal Investigator): Environmental Planning Group (EPG) is looking for 2 field directors for our Arizona office. These individuals will have experience leading field crew, writing up sections of larger reports, and completing smaller survey reports. The ideal candidate will have an advance degree in Anthropology/History, at least five years of experience, and is already permitted in Arizona (ASM, BLM, etc.). These positions are for full time salaried staff for our Phoenix Office. This position requires the ability to complete tasks in a timely and efficient manner while managing field personnel. Salary is negotiable. EPG is also looking for a senior archaeologist/principal investigator. This individual will have a Masters Degree or PhD in Anthropology or History, experience managing projects and/or people for at least 10 years, and is permitted as P.I. for Arizona. Other areas of expertise such as ceramic or lithic analysis is also a plus. This candidate will have an attention to detail, the ability to review documents for technical completeness, and exceptional communication skills (both written and oral) for interacting with other disciplines within the company and also agency personnel. This position is for a full time salaried staff for our Phoenix Office. This position requires the ability to complete tasks in a timely and efficient manner while managing field personnel. Salary is negotiable. Please send curriculum vitae to kdobschuetz@epgaz.com.

Thanks to Brian Kenny, Mark Kenyon, and Adrianne Rankin, and for contributions to today's newsletter.